Diploma thesis "TV Lifestyle Magazines : Phenomenon of Masculinity, Makeover and Success" mostly deals with the concepts of life-style, taste, makeover a masculinity and their factual manifestation in particular television shows. In its theoretical part the thesis defines fundamental themes and concepts based on literature, especially according to Pierre Bourdieu, Dick Hebdige and Michel Foucault. The concept of life-style has gained much importance in contemporary society, because it's actually the style of life which has become the most important principle of social clustering. One of the first sociologists to reflect on the concept of life-style was Pierre Bourdieu. His conception of life-style is based on stratification and social inequalities. These inequalities are - according to Bourdieu - the product of deep structural inequalities underlying the society as a whole. The thesis also concerns with style as intentional communication, hegemony and resistence as perceived by Dick Hebdige. The body and the process of moulding it into the shape of disciplined bodies is the subject of another part of the thesis. Further on the thesis deals with the problem of body and masculinity, and above all with the process of building its image in the media. Two types of masculinity are defined; first hegemonic...

This essay explores men´s relationship to training through a phenomenological understanding of bodily comfort and orientation. This is done by a survey performed with three men who identified themselves as feminist and continuingly exercise their bodies. The phenomenological understanding is then broadened by coupling the men's experiences to contemporary research on masculinity. By employing theories surrounding Sara Ahmed's view on phenomenology and Raewyn Connell's hegemonic masculinity, the essay shows that the men's bodily comfort and orientation is affected by the fact that they exercise. Through their training they construct bodies that in some aspects correlates with the conception of being in form, being fit. It also correlates with normative conceptions of masculine bodies. The conception of the fit body and masculinity is also explored through a view on norms of society. The feeling of incorporating social norms increases the men's bodily comfort, and give them a sense of being in control of their bodies. That they identified as feminist shows that they have an ambivalent relationship to their practitioner.

Although prevalence rates of gay intimate partner violence (IPV) appear to equal heterosexual IPV rates, gay male IPV does not feature strongly in public anti-­‐violence messaging. This relative silence appears to hold even within the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community. This study addresses this silence. In-­‐depth qualitative interviews were conducted and a critical discourse analysis informed by Ian Parker’s (1992) perspectives, was used to analyse the results. A review of mainstream and critical discourses of violence show that IPV is usually constructed as an exclusively heterosexual phenomenon and these influenced participants’ constructions. Findings indicated that a range of discourses intersect to produce constructions of gay IPV as ‘not violence’, normative, un-­‐ harmful, unintimidating, ‘anti-­‐gay’, erotic, cathartic and intimate. All of these formations can result in gay IPV being silenced and it was shown that gay mens’ constructions of IPV were inextricably bound in gendered, power asymmetry. The study demonstrates how particular configurations of discourse are necessary for violence to become intelligible at all. The implications of these findings are discussed and possibilities for important community intervention suggested.

Introdução - O corpo, em diferentes perspectivas, é concebido como uma fonte de transmissão de mensagens, de maneira que, mais do que enaltecer a matéria, é prestigiado o teor implícito nela, o qual pode ser interconectado com a natureza e a personalidade de seu transmissor. No campo da prostituição, no qual o corpo vale como mercadoria, os garotos de programa filtram, incorporam e reproduzem os desejos dos clientes para então construírem personagens e desenvolverem o prisma teatral da prostituição. A prostituição de luxo é manifestada como um fenômeno ainda pouco explorado em pesquisas e no meio acadêmico, o que lhe confere um caráter emblemático nos estudos de gênero e sexualidade. Objetivo - Compreender os sentidos atribuídos à masculinidade, ao uso do corpo e à prostituição entre garotos de programa de luxo da cidade de São Paulo. Método - Pesquisa qualitativa, mediante entrevistas com 8 garotos de programa de luxo. Foi utilizado um roteiro temático norteador para o levantamento do perfil socioeconômico dos participantes, assim como de relatos acerca da prática profissional e das concepções de masculinidade no campo da prostituição de luxo. Os dados foram transcritos, organizados e analisados por meio de uma aproximação com a análise de conteúdo. Resultados - Os garotos de programa, para se inserirem no mercado erótico de alto padrão, assumem um comportamento no qual encarnam aspectos caricaturais e marcantes da masculinidade hegemônica. Pode-se considerar que é no corpo e pelo corpo que eles demarcam e tornam visíveis aspectos ligados à masculinidade, à virilidade e à potência sexual. Corpos musculosos carregam os aspectos simbólicos inerentes e necessários à esta ocupação e é justamente esse reforço das normas e da performance de gênero que garante, entre outros aspectos, um lugar no mercado de luxo. Para tanto, o uso de anabolizantes é um dos principais recursos para a conquista do corpo considerado como ideal e valorizado economicamente. Observa-se que, dentre os entrevistados, a prostituição é legitimada como fonte de renda e que eles escolheram a entrada no ramo, realizando diferentes tipos de investimentos estéticos para permanecerem, já que consideram que o ganho financeiro obtido dificilmente seria possível por meio de outros empregos do mercado formal. Conclusão - A apropriação de estereótipos ligados à hegemonia pode ser interpretada como uma repetição de normas relacionadas à ideia da dominação masculina. Na busca por esses traços, clientes e profissionais do sexo tendem a reproduzir como ideais, para si mesmos e seus parceiros, os mesmos padrões excludentes aos quais foram submetidos, como uma possível fuga da feminização e de aspectos considerados desvirtuados. / Introduction - The body, in different perspectives, is conceived as a source of message transmission, so that, more than praising the matter, the content implicit in it is honored, which can be interconnected with the nature and the personality of its transmitter. In the prostitution field, where the body counts as merchandise, the male prostitutes filter, incorporate, and reproduce the clients\' desires for them to build characters and develop the theatrical prism of prostitution. Luxury prostitution is manifested as a phenomenon still little explored in research and academic environment, which provides an emblematic character in gender and sexuality studies. Purpose - To understand the meanings attributed to masculinity, the use of the body, and the prostitution among luxury male prostitutes in the city of São Paulo. Method - Qualitative research made by interviews with 8 male prostitutes of high standard . For such, a thematic guide was used to guide and collect data on socioeconomic and cultural profiles of the participants, reports regarding the professional practice, and aspects regarding the purpose. The data were transcribed, organized and analyzed by approximation with the content analysis. Results - In order to be inserted in the high standard erotic market, the male prostitutes assume a behavior in which they embody caricature like and relevant aspects from the hegemonic masculinity. It can be considered that it is in the body and for the body that they mark and make visible aspects related to masculinity, virility and sexual potency. Muscled bodies carry the symbolic aspects inherent and necessary to this occupation and it is precisely this reinforcement of rules and gender performance that guarantees, among other factors, a place in the luxury market. For such, the use of anabolic is one of the main resources for the achievement of the body considered as ideal and economically valued. It is observed that, among the interviewees, the prostitution is legitimized as a source of income and that they chose to enter the industry, performing different types of aesthetic investments to remain in the industry, provided they consider that the financial gain obtained would hardly be possible through other jobs in the formal market. Conclusion - The appropriation of stereotypes linked to hegemony can be interpreted as a repetition of rules related to the idea of male domination. In the search for these features, clients and sex professionals tend to reproduce as ideals, for themselves and their partners, the same excluding patterns to which they have been subjected, as a possible escape from feminization and aspects considered to be distorted.

Rape has historically been constructed as a women’s issue and, as such, research has focused on female survivors of sexual assault. Current research on the topic indicates that the construction of female rape is structured by stereotypical gender roles and patriarchal/misogynistic structures. However, there is very little research on male rape. This exploratory thesis seeks to fill this gap by exploring how the meaning of male rape is constructed on Twitter posts that contain the hashtag “MaleRape”. Two thousand ninety-two tweets were collected. The final sample was comprised of 840 tweets and qualitative content analysis was the method used to code and organize the data. Preliminary analysis suggested that the constructions varied significantly by region; accordingly, the data were sorted into the following four regions: North America; Europe; Africa; and Asia. The analysis, rooted in critical feminism, explores how male rape is constructed in each region. The findings indicate that there is some consistency across regions, especially with respect to the ways in which patriarchal assumptions led to the denial of male rape and the silencing of survivors. However, there were interesting differences in the various regions. This thesis addresses the influence of heteronormative constructions and calls for more consideration of cultural differences when studying sexual violence.

This thesis addresses universities’ image repair strategies when a student athlete is accused of sexual assault and the media’s coverage of these strategies. This is a particularly important issue due to the prevalence of campus sexual assault, as recent studies have shown that one in five women is sexually assaulted in college. Sexual assaults involving college athletes typically receive more media attention due to their high-profile nature. Athletic programs are typically sites of hegemonic masculinity, where men take action to maintain dominance over women. They may do this through misogynistic and homophobic talk or committing violence against women. Athletic departments’ image repair strategies when male athletes are accused of sexual assault also sometimes uphold hegemonic masculinity if their main goal is to maintain the team, which may generate significant revenue for the university. As such, their image repair strategies may allow male athletes to continue to partake in misogynistic practices, including committing violence against women. The media also has been accused of upholding masculine dominance by supporting rape myths or blaming the accuser in sexual assault incidents. This thesis consists of two case studies: the University of Colorado, which faced several allegations of sexual assault by football players in the early 2000’s; and Baylor University, which underwent a similar scandal starting in late 2015. It contains textual analysis of officials’ image repair strategies at both schools and the media’s responses to them. Ultimately, both Colorado and Baylor upheld hegemonic masculinity through their image repair strategies, though Colorado did so on a larger scale. In both instances, journalists were largely critical of their image repair strategies and argued that the strategies were not enough to change the structure of masculine dominance.

Like femininity, there is not one type of masculinity. Since there are different kinds of masculinities, there are also various types of fatherhood. Historical, cultural, economic, and social factors can affect fatherhood experiences in different ways. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the fatherhood experiences of lower-middle class men who live in Eskisehir and have at least one son. Within this context men&rsquo / s relations with their sons and their fathers will be the focus of this study. Issues such as early childhood experiences, maturity, work life, education life, and domestic division of labor will also be included with reference to the fatherhood experiences of the men in the sample.

Like femininity, there is not one type of masculinity. Since there are different kinds of masculinities, there are also various types of fatherhood. Historical, cultural, economic, and social factors can affect fatherhood experiences in different ways. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the fatherhood experiences of lower-middle class men who live in Eskisehir and have at least one son. Within this context men&rsquo / s relations with their sons and their fathers will be the focus of this study. Issues such as early childhood experiences, maturity, work life, education life, and domestic division of labor will also be included with reference to the fatherhood experiences of the men in the sample.

The aim of the study has been to examine how young men from Stockholm construct "Masculinity". This has been done by examining what men think is an ”ideal man”, what "makes a man a man", which expectations they meet as men and how the life of a man differs from the life of a woman. This has been examined through three semi-structured group interviews with the total of ten men. The results have been analysed with Raewyn Connells Theory of Masculinities, the idea of “Doing Gender” by Candace West and Don. H Zimmerman and the "Conception of Homosociality" described by Jari Kuosmanen and Karin Holmberg. R. Connell’s Theory of Masculinities provides a description of the “Ideal Man” and reveals what men think "makes a man" along with which expectations a man can meet. Our results show that men have clear opinions of how an "ideal man" should be,  thus reinforcing the construct of masculinity as described by Connells. Furthermore results indicate that men can see more benefits to being a man than a woman. This can be explained by the fact that men value what men do more than what women do, which can affect the equality between the sexes.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate the subject field of male vegans and masculinities through empirical method interviews and narrative analysis. The starting-point for this essay is animal ethics, feminist ethic vegetarianism and theories that suggest that eating meat is one part of the social construction of masculinities. The problem formulation is such as follows: How do male vegans construct masculinity? In an attempt to answer such a question there are three problem formulations: What do male vegans think about the connection between manhood and eating meat? How do male vegans relate to the norms in society? What do male vegans think of stereotype conceptions about vegans? I will come to the conclusion that male vegans think that eating meat, as well as drinking beer, is one part of the social construction of masculinities. Male vegans are aware of norms in the surroundings and the strong attachment of meat normativity in the western culture. They are also conscious about the stereotype conceptions about vegans, which affect how they talk about and perform their own veganism.